Lily asks
Tell me about someone close to you who did something impressive.
How to build your answer
Tell a story: four moves, about a minute.
- 1Set the sceneWhen and where. “A few months ago, I…”
- 2What happenedTwo or three moments, in order.
- 3How it feltYour reaction. “I was mortified.”
- 4How it endedThe ending, or what you'd do now.
Lily's answer, three ways
The same story, from easy to advanced. Tap a highlighted phrase to learn it.
Easy
Lily's voice note
My nan, actually. Last year, at seventy-eight, she learned to use a smartphone. She was so scared of it at first. She kept calling me by accident, usually at about six in the morning! But she stuck at it. She practised every day, and now she sends me photos of her garden and little voice messages. She even video calls my brother. I'm so proud of her. If she can learn something new at seventy-eight, I've got no excuses, have I?
Phrases to borrow
by accident
/baɪ ˈæksɪdənt/
not on purpose
I deleted the photo by accident.
stick at something
/stɪk ət ˈsʌmθɪŋ/
keep trying even when it's difficult
Learning a language is hard, but stick at it.
Natural
Lily's voice note
My nan. Last year, at seventy-eight, she decided to learn to use a smartphone. She was really scared of it, and she kept ringing me by mistake at six in the morning, ha. But she practised every single day, and she kept it up. Now she sends me photos of her garden and little voice messages, and she video calls my brother. She's so proud of herself. Whenever I say I'm too old to learn something, I think of her. It puts things into perspective.
Phrases to borrow
keep something up
/kiːp ˈsʌmθɪŋ ʌp/
continue doing something at the same level
You're doing great, keep it up!
be proud of yourself
/biː ˈpraʊd əv jɔːˈself/
feel happy and pleased about something you did
You passed your test! You should be proud of yourself.
put things into perspective
/pʊt ˈθɪŋz ˈɪntə pəˈspektɪv/
help you see how important or unimportant something really is
Talking to my nan always puts things into perspective.
Advanced
Lily's voice note
My nan, without a doubt. Last year, at seventy-eight, she decided she'd learn to use a smartphone. She was terrified of it at first and kept calling me out of the blue at six in the morning, then hanging up in a panic. But she didn't give up. She practised every day, and now she sends me photos of her garden and voice messages, and she video calls my brother. I still can't get over it. I really look up to her. If she can do it at seventy-eight, I've got no excuse.
Phrases to borrow
out of the blue
/ˈaʊt əv ðə ˈbluː/
suddenly, when you don't expect it
An old friend messaged me out of the blue last night.
can't get over something
/kɑːnt ˈɡet ˈəʊvə ˈsʌmθɪŋ/
be very surprised or amazed by something, and keep thinking about it
I can't get over how much the town has changed.
look up to someone
/ˈlʊk ʌp tə ˈsʌmwʌn/
admire and respect someone
I've always looked up to my older cousin.
no excuse to do something
/nəʊ ɪkˈskjuːs tə ˈduː ˈsʌmθɪŋ/
no good reason not to do something
The gym's next door, so I've got no excuse.
Your turn: answer Lily
Tell me about someone close to you who did something impressive.
Answer out loud, in your own words. Try one phrase you just borrowed.
People & relationships
keep something up
continue doing something at the same level
“You're doing great, keep it up!”
heytardy